Fixed-income securities like Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (NYSEArca: BND) that include highly rated countries and corporations may also be used in times of political unrest. In addition, Rydex CurrencyShares Japanese Yen ETF (NYSEArca: FXY) and the Rydex CurrencyShares Swiss Franc ETF (NYSEArca: FXF) both cover two currencies that have held up in times of uncertainty.
When the broader market plummets, investors may also use inverse ETFs such as the ProShares Short S&P 500 ETF (NYSEArca: SH), which moves in the opposite direction of the daily movement of the S&P 500 Index. Additionally, the higher market volitiilty is also reflected in the CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX, which are covered by iPath S&P 500 Short-Term Futures ETN (NYSEArca: VXX) and the ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (NYSEArca: VIXY). [Middle East ETFs: Volatility Could Rule.]
For more information on the Middle East, visit our Middle East category.
Read the disclaimer; Tom Lydon is a board member of Rydex|SGI.
Max Chen contributed to this article.